An open letter criticizing the Royal Academy of Art in London’s decision to remove two artworks from its “Young Artists’ Summer Show” because they addressed the Israel-Gaza conflict has been published by Artists for Palestine U.K. The letter has been signed by more than 750 artists, arts professionals, and other public figures, including artists Nan Goldin and Adam Broomberg, musician Brian Eno, director Mike Leigh, and fashion designer Bella Freud.
A blog post announcing the open letter noted that more than 100 of the signatories are Jewish. Several Royal Academicians (members of the RA) have also signed the letter, including Jock McFadyen, Rana Begum, Oona Grimes, Vanessa Jackson, Helen Sear, and Tim Shaw.
“Far from protecting Jews, the RA is lending support to a racist, anti-Palestinian campaign that aims to silence expressions of support for Palestinian people,” the letter states. “British arts institutions have the ethical, historical, and legal duty to uphold freedom of expression and anti-discrimination.” It goes on to demand that the RA explain “the measures it will take to repair the harm it has done by stigmatizing the work of the young artists it removed from the Young Artists Summer Show and by dehumanizing Palestinians.”
Artists for Palestine U.K. say the RA have invited them to meet to discuss their concerns and, should this meeting go ahead, they would welcome the opportunity so that “our Palestinian and Jewish partners can work with the RA towards repairing any harms that have been done, including the impacts of this across the cultural sector.”
The two works were removed after the Board of Deputies of British Jews sent the Royal Academy of Art’s chief executive Axel Rüger an open letter on July 15 that claimed three works on display at the RA “comprise antisemitic tropes.” The group’s vice president Andrew Gilbert added that their inclusion, “risks giving the impression that the RA is taking a political stance on a very controversial issue, which would seem at odds with its objectives, not to mention its charitable status.”
As Jewish people I think we should be a lot more concerned about the reality than the art depicting it.
It’s not a conflict. Nor did this begin on October 7th.
Tens of thousands of innocent people are being massacred. We shouldn’t be censoring art. We need to tell the truth. https://t.co/ip4nGGRUEu
— Zack Polanski (@ZackPolanski) July 16, 2024
Two artworks were subsequently removed from the “Young Artists Summer Show,” an exhibition of works chosen from submissions by 21,000 people aged between four and 19. One was 16-year-old Andy’s charcoal drawing of a group of women in hijabs screaming and holding each other while a swastika is emblazoned on a giant statue of the Buddha that looms behind. The artist said it was inspired by the conflict in Gaza, which he believes “draws many parallels with the Nazi’s oppression.”
The second work that was removed is a photograph by 18-year-old artist Kausar of someone holding up a sign that reads, “Jews say stop genocide on Palestinians: Not in Our Name.” Gilbert said he did not believe the photographer was themself Jewish. The identity of the person holding the sign is not specified.
The authors of the Artists For Palestine U.K. letter say that, by removing this image, “the Royal Academy has colluded with the erasure of Jewish contribution to solidarity with Palestinians.”
A photograph of a protestor holding up a sign that reads, “Jews say stop genocide on Palestinians: Not in Our Name” by 18-year-old artist Kausar. It was removed from the “Young Artists Summer Exhibition” at the Royal Academy of Arts in London in 2024 following complaints of antisemitism. Photo courtesy of Artists for Palestine U.K.
“We should not have chosen to display two works that relate to the Israel/Palestine conflict, and are subject to varying interpretation, in the Young Artists’ Summer Show,” said the RA in a statement. “We recognized that an exhibition for young people and children aged 4 to 19, without opportunity for real context and discussion, is not an appropriate environment to invite volatile public discourse.”
It added: “We shared our decision with the schools who had submitted the work of the respective young artists, and they supported the RA’s course of action. It was not a conclusion we came to lightly, and we considered the implications carefully, but safeguarding the young people involved in our activities is paramount.” It said the decision had been made “independently of any correspondence from external organisations.”
A third work has remained on display in the RA’s main summer exhibition, which features work by adults. The Mass Slaughter of Women and Girls is Not How You Deradicalise Gaza is a charcoal drawing by Michael Sandle RA in which a fighter pilot drives an aircraft with Star of David insignia.
“Works in the exhibition often reflect current societal and political topics,” said the RA in a statement. “Inclusion of works in the Summer Exhibition should not be read as the RA supporting any particular artist’s point of view.” It added, “our role, as an artist and architect led organisation is to allow all artists the ability to express themselves as they see fit. The Royal Academy is an organisation led by artists and architects and is committed to freedom of expression.”
The executive committee of the Artists’ Union England (AUE) also published an open letter on July 29 addressed to Rüger. The authors stated, “we have pledged to continue to resist attempts to crack down on Palestine solidarity in the cultural field, and our members have raised this instance as a particularly egregious example.”
It called the RA’s decision a “knee-jerk response” reflective of “the increasingly ‘risk-averse’ and repressive environment being fostered in the U.K. for artists engaging with Palestinian solidarity.”
The Palestine Solidarity Campaign U.K. (PSC) is encouraging its 300,000 supporters to take action by emailing Rüger condemning the RA’s decision to remove the two works as “complicit in shielding the state of Israel from accountability for its actions.” In March, a pro-Palestine protest took place at the Barbican in London and artists withdrew artworks from the exhibition “Unravel” after the institution was accused of censoring Indian writer Pankaj Mishra.
The Artists’ Union England and the Board of Deputies of British Jews have been reached for comment but did not respond by publication time.